Do you think that the healthcare reform bill is a good thing or a bad thing? Or do you intend to reserve judgement until you learn more?

Yes Leigha I had heard about that.

kimaly, no we do not own a construction company. But the Dems are trying hard to help small businesses and get the construction business some stimulus to get things going again. Is yours a commercial or residential construction business? Or both? And in what way is health insurance handled differently for a construction business in the reform bill?

We have a Commercial Plumbing Company and yes the health care bill will require them to have coverage with as little as 5 employees. We have more then that but but less then the 50 that other small businesses will be required to have coverage for. I know they are offering tax breaks but it is in no way enough to cover the out of pocket expense to the employer. I agree we need some type of reform I just don't beleave this is the one.

Kimaly--The provision that you are talking about was removed from the bill before reconciliation. Here are 2 articles about it.

Health care reform affects largest contractors

Lobbying battle over contractor healthcare to come after bill passes - TheHill.com

I am against it. It is UNconstitutional!

In an interesting twist of history, Barack Obama signed the largest expansion of the federal government since the New Deal on March 23, 2010, exactly 235 years to the day after Patrick Henry's famous speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1775.

In part, Henry's historic message emphasized that, "If

we wish to be free...we must fight!" Many join Patrick Henry in that sentiment, and pledge to

fight ObamaCare and its attacks on our freedom with all

of our might!

ObamaCare was unconstitutional from the beginning.

Mandating that health insurance be purchased by every person or their employer is a classic example of arbitrary power the Constitution was designed to guard against. Congress lacks the authority to force the American people into making insurance purchases. Period.

And what American actually wants to face the IRS, including their 16,500 new agents, who will act as the bill's enforcement agency?nst it !t!

ObamaCare was unconstitutional from the beginning.

Mandating that health insurance be purchased by every person or their employer is a classic example of arbitrary power the Constitution was designed to guard against. Congress lacks the authority to force the American people into making insurance purchases. Period.

And what American actually wants to face the IRS, including their 16,500 new agents, who will act as the bill's enforcement agency?

The fallout from ObamaCare is already being felt.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the detrimental affects of "reform" are already being felt in the private sector.

Caterpillar, for instance, said the new healthcare mandates would cost the company at least $100 million or more in the first year alone.

Medtronic, a medical device maker, warned that new taxes on its products could force it to lay off a thousand workers.

Verizon has joined those businesses sounding the alarm

about serious adverse consequences.

Americans DO NOT want ObamaCare!

A recent Rasmussen poll reported that 52 percent of Americans trust the insurance industry to run health care more than the federal government. This is a particularly telling statistic considering how Americans feel about insurance companies!

Other national polls taken after ObamaCare "passed" reveal that a clear majority of Americans favor its repeal.

Every pro-ObamaCare legislator will be on

their home turf over the spring break with the "talking

points" of why the President's bill is "good for America."

Yet never before has the will of the people been so

manipulated, ignored and marginalized as in the long

battle over this bill!

Such legislators are in for a rude awakening. Americans

nationwide are expressing OUTRAGE at the overt manipulation

and total lack of integrity in the Obama/Reid/Pelosi axis

of power.

They proved to all Americans that they were willing to do

ANYTHING to get this control of our medical system under

the banner of "change."

Don't be deceived. This socialistic power grab

was always about our government's takeover of

two more industries - health care and student

loans. This was NEVER about improved healthcare

or access to education loans. (Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman

Liberty Counsel)

Git your guns! Were gonna fight!

We won and the american people are seeing the truth about this healthcare reform and in 6 months when many of the popular aspects of it are implemented people are going to see that all the doom and gloom predictions by the lying right wing just aren't true.

The tide is turning and the polls reflect it. People are moving over to thinking this bill is a good thing. See my post below.

So, just keep on fighting it PG if you choose but healthcare is the law of the land. It doesn't matter if republicans win in November, they don't have the votes to repeal it.

And all these AG lawsuits? Just a huge waste of taxpayer money. They will lose. The government demands (mandates) that we do things like paying taxes, or during a draft - serve in the military.

So, keep fighting if you have nothing better to do. But for the rest of us, we won and we're moving on.

Edited March 26, 201016 yr by Cleo's Mom

Caterpillar, for instance, said the new healthcare mandates would cost the company at least $100 million or more in the first year alone.

Medtronic, a medical device maker, warned that new taxes on its products could force it to lay off a thousand workers.

Verizon has joined those businesses sounding the alarm

about serious adverse consequences.

Americans DO NOT want ObamaCare!

I think you meant to say "Big Corporations don't want Obamacare!

I have decided to embrace the term Obamacare, I want to make sure that when it is universally loved nobody forgets who was responsible for it!

By Susan Page, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — More Americans now favor than oppose the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law Tuesday, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds — a notable turnaround from surveys before the vote that showed a plurality against the legislation.

By 49%-40%, those polled say it was "a good thing" rather than a bad one that Congress passed the bill. Half describe their reaction in positive terms — as "enthusiastic" or "pleased" — while about four in 10 describe it in negative ways, as "disappointed" or "angry."

From Factcheck.org. Only a partial list of debunking the lies on this youtube video. You can go to fact check for the complete list:

Claim:

Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!

False: This section merely requires a study of “the large group insured and self-insured employer health care markets.” There’s no mention of auditing employers, only of studying “markets.” The purpose of the study is to produce “recommendations” to make sure the new law “does not provide incentives for small and mid-size employers to self-insure.”

Claim:

Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!

False: This section says nothing whatsoever about “rationing” or anything of the sort. Actually, it’s favorable to families and individuals, placing an annual cap on what they could pay out of pocket if covered by a basic, “essential benefits package.” The limits would be $5,000 for an individual, $10,000 for a family.

Claim:

Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)

False: Actually, the section starting on page 30 sets up a “private-public advisory committee” headed by the U.S. surgeon general and made up of mostly private sector “medical and other experts” selected by the president and the comptroller general. The advisory committee would have only the power “to recommend” what benefits are included in basic, enhanced and premium insurance plans. It would have no power to decide what treatments anybody will get. Its recommendations on benefits might or might not be adopted.

Claim:

Page 42: The “Health Choices Commissioner” will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.

False: The new Health Choices Commissioner will oversee a variety of choices to be offered through new insurance exchanges. The bill itself specifies the “minimum services to be covered” in a basic plan, including prescription drugs, mental health services, maternity and well-baby care and certain vaccines and preventive services (pages 27-28). We find nothing in the bill that prevents insurance companies from offering benefits that exceed the minimums. In fact, the legislation allows (page 84) any company that offers an approved basic plan to offer also an “enhanced” plan, a “premium” plan and even a “premium plus” plan that could include vision and dental benefits.

Claim:

Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.

False. That’s simply not what the bill says at all. This page includes "SEC. 152. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE," which says that "[e]xcept as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services." However, the bill does explicitly say that illegal immigrants can’t get any government money to pay for health care. Page 143 states: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." And as we’ve said before, current law prohibits illegal immigrants from participating in government health care programs.

Claim:

Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.

False. There is no mention of any “National ID Healthcard” anywhere in the bill. Page 58 says that government standards for electronic medical transactions "may include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card,” to show eligibility for services. Insurance companies typically issue such cards already, but if such a standard were issued the cards would need to be in a standard form readable by computers. The word “may” is used to permit such a standard, but it does not require one.

Claim:

Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.

False. This section aims to simplify electronic payments for health services, the same sort of electronic payments that already are common for such things as utility bills or mortgage payments. The bill calls for the secretary of Health and Human Services to set standards for electronic administrative transactions that would "enable electronic funds transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with the related health care payment and remittance advice." There is no mention of "individual bank accounts" nor of any new government authority over them. Also, the section does not say that electronic payments from consumers is required.

And the lies from those on the right, just like the beat, goes on....:tt1:

Do you see what I mean? How does the avg. person know what to believe? I guess we just fasten our seatbelts and hope for the best.

HB--Snopes.com, factcheck.org non-partisian independant verification.

Do you see what I mean? How does the avg. person know what to believe? I guess we just fasten our seatbelts and hope for the best.

I know it's hard to separate fact from fiction when there is so much of the latter out there. But I appreciate that at least you realize it. LeighaMason has some good advice.

Well even the people who championed this legislation cannot know for sure how each and every aspect of the bill will play out. Time will tell.

Do you see what I mean? How does the avg. person know what to believe? I guess we just fasten our seatbelts and hope for the best.

This is what I struggle with. As Americans we are bombarded with commercial messages and it not just for us to buy a product anymore so much of it is for us to buy an idea. Now not only does Coke and McDonald's have huge advertising campaigns that run year round but other interests have less noticeable ones too. In 2007 I spent a year in radio advertising, it was such an eye opener. Everything is sold, from the joke that the DJ tells in the morning to casual banter between 2 DJ's, a lot of these are scripted, recorded and paid for to promote an idea. It all comes from advertising companies who are hired to promote their customers ideas. I believe this is where so much of the anti health care emails came from as well, if you look at the quality of the pictures (think Obama with joker makeup) they were obviously created by a professional graphic artist.

There is an advertising campaign right now that promotes the idea that you should vote against your own interests and it is so transparent that most Americans don't even know its there.

Git your guns! Were gonna fight!

Liberals are sooo violent. Advocating for 'guns' to fight with is sooooo wrong. We will fight you at the polling booths. And win!!!!

Man's Finger Bitten Off in Scuffle at Health Care Rally (moveon shows its teeth)

September 2, 2009 | staff

Posted on Thursday, September 03, 2009 3:49:54 AM by tlb

THOUSAND OAKS -- A 65 year old man had his finger bitten off Wednesday evening at a health care rally in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's investigators were called to Hillcrest and Lynn Road at 7:26 p.m.

About 100 protesters sponsored by MoveOn.org were having a rally supporting health care reform. A group of anti-health care reform protesters formed across the street.

When someone from the pro-reform side crossed over to the anti-reform side, a fist fight ensued, which resulted in the man's pinky finger getting bitten off.

It's believed the man was on the anti-health care reform side.

He took his finger and walked to Los Robles hospital for treatment. Police don't know who bit the man's finger off, but they're investigating the incident.

Edited March 27, 201016 yr by pattygreen

Rasmussen: 55% Favor Repeal of Health Care Bill

• 
  

Rasmussen Reports

March 25, 2010

• 
  
• Just before the House of Representatives passed sweeping health care legislation last Sunday, 41% of voters nationwide favored the legislation while 54% were opposed. Now that President Obama has signed the legislation into law, most voters want to see it repealed.
  

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the first two nights after the president signed the bill, shows that 55% favor repealing the legislation. Forty-two percent (42%) oppose repeal. Those figures include 46% who Strongly Favor repeal and 35% who Strongly Oppose it.

In terms of Election 2010, 52% say they’d vote for a candidate who favors repeal over one who does not. Forty-one percent (41%) would cast their vote for someone who opposes repeal.

Read entire article

If Obama really cared about the other 1/2 of the citizens here who are not in favor of his HC plan, he would not have gloated about getting his way and deceitfully passing this bill. He actually said, concerning the law suits filed, "Bring it on". What kind of mature, bipartisan leader would say that? He actually promoted and encouraged a fight with those who oppose him. This is not a campaign any more. He should grow up. He does not have the maturity, wisdom, or integrity to run things. He is an inexperienced and deceitful liar.

Edited March 27, 201016 yr by pattygreen